Cats and Dragons
by Grave the Digger
Summary: When a glitch in the Time Vortex sends the Doctor and Donna to Skyrim, they meet a fellow traveler in need of companionship.
1. Intro (chapter 1)

_I don't know where they came from, or who they are. I don't appreciate his curious behavior, or the fact that he keeps following me around. I especially don't appreciate her constant bewilderment, or either of their casual behavior during times like these. However, I can't help but feel fascinated by both of them. After all, they just fell out of the sky…_

A small blue box drifted through the peaceful realm of space. Whoa, did I just say that? Here, let me rephrase that. A small blue box hurtled through the cold, heartless inferno known as the Time Vortex. Inside, its occupants were, and rightly so, freaking out. The tenth Doctor fumbled frantically with the controls on the Tardis's golden-hued interface, his eyes darting from screen to screen as he tried to make sense of the technobabble streaming from the console's every orifice. "Donna!" he shouted over the clatter of furniture sliding around and various objects hitting the floor. "Are you all right?"

"Are you bloody kidding me?" his companion yelled from somewhere within the box. "I didn't know you had medieval armor in here!" A loud clang resounded from the same area, followed by a few choice swears. "Just land this bleeding thing before gravity decides to do it for us!"

The Doctor fiddled with a few switches and then checked a couple monitors before his face fell in horror. "Oh goodness… This wasn't supposed to happen."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?!" Donna shouted.

"It means we're about to land… in another universe."

"WHA—," Before Donna could finish her sentence, the Tardis started spinning rapidly and shuddering as if it was tumbling down the side of a mountain. In fact, Donna could have sworn she heard rocks falling nearby, as well as the terrified bleats of some sort of mountain-dwelling animal. When the box finally stopped moving, somehow miraculously standing upright, the Doctor opened the door, only to see a small, picturesque town… being attacked by a massive beast that could only be classified as a dragon.


	2. Chapter 2

_My name is Jo-Riir. I am sixteen years old, and I am the youngest in my family, the Kennens of the town Snowridge. I come from a long line of Khajiit mages, known in town for our healing spells and elemental summoning in a town mostly made up of human farmers. Today started as a normal day, like many others. I woke up early this morning, got dressed in our traditional mages' robes, and headed downstairs to get an early start on spellcasting practice. I walked outside into the forest to practice my illumination spells, and got started right away. _

_As a sorcerer in-training, I still have trouble summoning elements, but am very proud of where I am so far. Khajiit are not well known for being mages, and though our catlike appearance may suggest a strong skill in magic, it takes a long time, as well as a lot of training, to get even as good as I am now, though that may not be quite as advanced as that of other mages. I was just managing to get a perfect ball of light to form between my paws when I heard a loud rumble in the distance, followed by a roar. Oh Gods… We all knew what that was._

_ Sure enough, when I got back to town, I was greeted by the bustle of villagers in the streets, frantically packing up their belongings and trying to get as far away into the forest as they could. I watched, terrified, as my mother ran past me, screaming. Soon, the dragon we all knew was coming swooped into view and descended upon our village, laying waste upon the outermost buildings whilst standing amongst the larger ones. As I was staring, my mother ran back up to me from behind. "I packed up your things," she said, handing me a leather bag. "Tell your brothers to keep an eye on the villagers while your father and I fight the beast off."_

_"What should I do?" I asked. Stooping down, she placed her paws on my shoulders and told me one word. "Run." With that she darted into the streets, paws blazing as shards of ice formed around her. "Guards! To me!" she shouted. Four heavily armed soldiers sprinted to her side. Obedient as I had always been taught, I ran off to find my older brothers standing in the crowd. "Do'Niss! Arfulln! Mother says to keep watch over the townsfolk while she, Father, and the guards fight the dragon. Keep them safe!" And that being said, I took off, clutching the bag as firmly as I could. _

_Eventually, as my arms grew tired, I slung the bag over my shoulder as an archer would carry a quiver, and with my remaining strength, used my claws to pull myself onto the lowest branch of a tall tree. Slinging the bag off of my shoulder, I carefully untied the drawstring and pulled the pouch open. Inside it I found my clothes, a small tin of moon sugar, an assortment of crystals (Mother believes they can aid you in spellcasting) and a miniature suede pouch of smoked fish. Just my belongings, nothing much, although I could have sworn there was something heavier in there. As I pulled out my robes, a metallic glimmer caught my eye. _

_Holding the bag up to the light, I soon discovered that the source of the shine was the bronze, leather-wrapped hilt of a beautiful dagger. As I pulled it out of its sheath, the gleam of the metal reflected the sunlight and onto the leaves of the tree. Now this I could put to some good use._

As the Tardis door slowly opened, the Doctor checked a few screens on the console to make sure this planet had oxygen, and cautiously stuck his head outside. His eyes scrolled across a beautiful mountainous landscape, before a loud roar broke the peaceful silence. He frantically looked around to find the sound's source until he spotted a small Nordic village under attack by a massive reptilian beast. His face immediately lit up. "Donna!" he called into the blue box. "There's a dragon out here!"

"What?!" a voice resounded from within the Tardis. "A dragon? Doctor, are you sure you didn't hurt your head?"

"Oh come on." he replied. "You've seen baby aliens made out of human fat float into space! How hard is it to believe there's a dragon out here?"

"Fine, I'm coming." The Doctor could hear several loud clangs, a splash, and the sound of a rolling object hitting wall before his companion finally made her way into the main room and to the door. "Okay. Where's the dragon?" the Doctor pointed at the massive creature, and simultaneously, Donna's jaw dropped. "But-wha-how does—"

"We're in a whole nother universe now! You've got to come to expect this sort of thing when this happens."

"Yeah, about that. How exactly did we even get into this other universe? You said we were going to Mesoamerica, not wherever this place is!"

"Yeah… timey-wimey misstep, you could say. New tunnel opened up in the Time Vortex, happens sometimes. Usually serves a shortcut through time, but I guess this time it just sort of… Glitched."

"Oh well. Guess we'll just have to explore this universe now."

"Yep! Just think: a whole new all of time and space!"

"Oh yeah, Doctor? Shouldn't we, you know, step in and stop the dragon from destroying the town?"

The alarmed look on Ten's face was almost comical as he let it sink in, and then started running towards the village. As he was sprinting through the forest, he heard a voice say, "Don't step in. They know what they're doing. Unless you're a mage, stay out here." The Doctor started poking around in the forest with "Hello?"s and "Who are you?"s until he heard something heavy drop to the ground behind him.

"Who are you," said the cat-girl, "And why are you here?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

"I said, who are you?" the cat-girl asked.

"Oh! I didn't know there were cat-people living here! This is great! Dragons and cat people, living on the same planet and everything!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"Excuse me? I'd prefer it if you didn't use that awful term. I don't know where you're from, but we Khajiit are well-respected here." she replied.

"Oh. My bad. At any rate, you have questions and I have answers. I'm the Doctor, this is Donna, and here are our credentials." He held out a piece of Psychic Paper.

"What?" That paper is blank."

"Well, then, that doesn't really matter. Anywho, Miss, who might you be, and where exactly are we?"

"My name is Jo'riir of the Kennen Khajiit family, mage in-training of the town Snowridge, which is currently being destroyed by a dragon." She replied curtly. "Snowridge being a small mountain town in the north of Skyrim, on the continent of Tamriel. Are you all right? Did you never learn basic geography?"

"As it seems, we sort of crash-landed our, um, magic box here and now we can't get back to where we came from." Donna replied.

"Well, today may be your lucky day. I can perform a repairing spell on your box, for a price."

"That would be great. We'll show you to the box first, and then discuss the price later." the Doctor added. Jo'riir eyed them cautiously.

"If you say so."

_They led me through the forest, out into a clearing where a large wooden box stood, its deep blue panels obviously looking worse for the wear. "Here she is." The man who called himself the Doctor said. Hmm. I had been looking for something big to repair for a while, eager to show off my repair spell. I had come up with it myself, after modifying a heal spell until it was able to mend objects instead of flesh. But one thing struck my mind as suspicious. Why did they want me to fix this? It looked just like an ordinary wooden box. Couldn't they just have found a carpenter? "Are you sure it's a mage, and not a woodworker, you want to fix this?" I asked. The Doctor smiled. "She's more than she looks like on the outside." She? Was this man crazy? _

_Hesitating, I stepped closer and closed my eyes. Instantly, my eyes opened wide again in alarm. No… That couldn't be possible… I turned to face the box and closed my eyes once again. And then… I saw it again. That box… it was everywhere. I could feel its pulsing energy everywhere, and every when. It was as if time and space themselves were bending around this mysterious box. This was so much bigger than anything that had ever existed. Now I understood what he meant by "magic box." I opened my eyes again and said, "I'll do my best. Let me in so I can fix 'her.'" The Doctor opened the door, bathing the hilltop in golden light. This was it._

_I stepped in and almost fainted. The sheer amount of mass conscience and energy was overwhelming, not to mention the fact that—"It's bigger…"_

_"__On the inside, I know!" he said happily. "I love it when people say that." I stumbled. The whole world and all I had ever known went against this. My own brain disagreed with my eyes at what I saw. Everything was telling me that this box could not possibly be here, and yet here it was. I kneeled down on the floor. "I'm going to need a minute." I said. _

_I had to work fast before I went mad. I kneeled down on the floor, drawing a few crystals from my bag for luck. I cleared my mind, and then focused all my consciousness on this one task. A glowing golden circle formed around me and then spread throughout the room. I reached out with my mind… and another consciousness answered. This place… it was alive. She was alive. My repairing magic slowly seeped through the gap between time and space. She took that magic and sewed herself together with it, like golden threads streaming through every possible point in the universe. It was like a spider web connecting every piece of time, of space, of everything, with her at the center. The Tardis, she told me she was called. And then, just like that, it was over. I opened my eyes and immediately collapsed onto the floor._

_When I finally awoke, I felt heavy as lead. I could barely move, let alone cast any spells. I opened my eyes to see that the spell had worked. The interior of the ship looked good as new, and as I slowly sat up, I could hear a new voice ringing in my mind: _Good morning, Jo'riir_. I knew that it was the Tardis speaking to me, that it was her way of thanking me for quite literally pouring my soul into this feat. I stretched and blinked lazily, before glancing around. It was then when I finally noticed. "Doctor? Donna? Where are you?" I called, worried that they had left me behind. I wondered if the Tardis would give me any hints, but she remained silent. I guess that 'good morning' thing would be the only time she would ever speak to me. Now that the magic bond was broken, I supposed that I couldn't communicate with her anymore. No matter. I would find them on my own. They had to be somewhere. I marched into an adjacent room, turned into a hallway, and poked around in room after room until I finally found them sitting in a cozy looking library, flipping through strange and ancient-looking books. "You know," the Doctor was telling Donna, "This one here is a signed poetry book from Apollonius himself…"_

_"__Well, fine way to wake up." I said. "Lying on the floor, half-mad, with no sign of either of the people who made you perform a spell like that in the first place." It was mostly sarcasm, though. I was actually very thankful that they had left me alone and not bothered me, tired as I was. "So, now that I've fixed your ship, what will we do now? My home is gone, my parents have left me to fend for myself in the midst of a dragon attack, and the only people I know are still here are the ones who fell out of the sky in a box."_

_He sat up and folded the book, then placed it onto a small table. "Well, Joey," he started._

_"__Please don't call me Joey."_

_"__Well, Joey, that is what I'm leaving you to decide. You can either go out to find a new home, or, perhaps, you can come adventure with us. I warn you, the latter might not be a wise choice. You could get killed in a thousand different ways, or get lost on an alien world, but you'll have a home. You'll have friends. And, most importantly of all, you're the only one here who knows anything about this universe Donna and I have gotten stuck in. It's your choice."_

_I stared at him for a while as I weighed the pros and cons, then blinked as common sense decided to take its leave. "I'm coming with you."_


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor looked up from his place at the Tardis's console to where his two companions were standing, watching him work. "Amazing. Your spell really fixed everything up, Joey." The khajiit smiled bashfully, then asked, "So. You said we'd go off on an adventure. Where do you think we'll go?"

"Actually, I was hoping we could explore this place some more. Go on a grand trek across- What was it you said this country was called?"

"Skyrim."

"Well, a grand trek across Skyrim, then. No timey-wimey stuff right now. I want to see more of this planet right here and now. Ooh, it's been a long time since I went hiking! Is there much more forest around here, or are there more towns?"

"Well, there are several towns and cities around here, but they're kind of far off. It should take us a little under a day to reach Riverwood from where we are now, longer if it starts snowing."

"Great." The time lord grinned in an insane fashion. "Donna! We're going on an adventure!"

"Wait, you mean we're going now?" Jo'riir asked, incredulous. The Doctor nodded excitedly, so fast it seemed his head was going to snap off of its place on his neck. "We're going to need supplies," said the khajiit. "Food, water, blankets, weapons, maybe some firewood. This late in the day, we'll have to spend the night somewhere. Thankfully, the last time my mother took me there, she showed me a small cave big enough for five people to sleep in." She rummaged around in the leather bag she was carrying before pulling out some cozy-looking clothes. "I would highly recommend you find something warm to wear. Those clothes you two have on aren't going to keep you warm on a mountain like this." She nodded at the Doctor's suit and Donna's shirt and jeans, then headed into the Tardis to change. A few minutes later, she emerged wearing a long-sleeved tunic, thick brown pants, a tan hooded cloak, and leather boots. The Doctor, then Donna, did the same, packing on cozy clothes, then headed out to help gather supplies.

A few minutes later, everyone was ready to go. Jo'riir pulled a map out of her bag, then slung the bag over her shoulder along with a bundle of blankets. "What are we going to do with the Tardis?" she asked.

"Simple." The Doctor said. "I'll put her on autopilot to go to the cave you said we would stay in, then put a perception filter over her so nobody notices her. What are the coordinates for Riverwood?"

"What?" the khajiit asked, confused.

"May I see the map? I need to find out where to put her so we meet her in town."

"Of course. Just please return it when you're done. That's our only form of navigation you're messing with." She said cautiously. Before she had finished her sentence, the Tardis doors had slammed shut. Not twenty seconds later, the Doctor emerged again with a triumphant grin on his face, holding the map aloft. He walked over to Jo'Riir.

"I like this map." He proclaimed with the manner of a four-year-old who had just received a cookie. This is a great map. So many mountains! So many castles! Can I have a copy?"

"Uhm…"

"Come on, you two! She's going to leave soon. It's time for an adventure!" he leapt up in the air, beaming like a star. He shouldered his bag and looked expectantly at the khajiit. "Let's go!" As they headed off, Jo'Riir heard a strange whooshing sound. Looking behind her, she saw the blue box fading in and out of existence, making that sound all the while until it was gone. She wondered for the first time that day if she was going insane.


	5. Chapter 5

_"__Well, here we are." I said as we entered a cave. We had been hiking through the mountains all day, and had finally happened upon the cave we were to sleep in. As we slung our bags off of our backs, the Doctor dug out a bundle of firewood from his backpack and set it out on the floor into a fire pit some thoughtful soul had arranged there ages ago. Donna and I laid out our blankets and cushions on the cave floor. "So," I asked her, "How did you get to traveling with him?" I gestured over to the Doctor, who was expectantly prodding at the small fire with a stick. _

_"__Wow. It's a long story. Let's just say, never buy any diet pills. Ever." Reading the baffled look on my face, she added, "I'll tell you tomorrow." I arranged the thick furs that were my bed into a cozy-looking nest, and pulled some cozy, simple-looking robes out of my bag before heading behind a large rock to change out of my muddy, thick adventuring clothes. When I emerged from behind the rock, the Doctor had already gotten a cheerfully crackling fire going and was roasting some meat. Where he had gotten said meat, I had no idea, but I just decided to roll with it and be glad we had food. _

_I headed over to the fire pit and sat down on a smooth-looking stone next to the one Donna was sitting on. The Doctor gingerly pulled a strip of the meat out of the coals and handed it to me, where I gratefully received it. It was the first food I had had that day, aside from a few wild berries we had found on our trip. I bit into the roasted meat, only to instantly open my mouth again. It was so hot! "Too hot! Burns!" I panted over the intense pain while the Doctor snickered from across the fire. I ran over to the mouth of the cave, grabbed a pawful of snow, and quickly stuffed it into my mouth. As the burning sensation quickly melted away, I glared over at Donna and the Doctor, who were trying their best to suppress their laughter. "Hey!" I shouted, only half-angry at them. I suppose it _was_ kind of funny. _

_I tried to retain my dignity as I padded back over to the fire, then took my seat. I took another, smaller bite out of the roasted meat. It was good, now that it had had cooled. It tasted juicy and well-seasoned, reminding me of my mother's home cooking. Mother… I hadn't really thought about her since, well, since the dragon attacked. What had happened to her? The last I had seen of her was when she had run into the streets of Snowridge to fight the dragon. I prayed that she was still alive, but even if she was, what did she think had happened to me? She would never believe me if I told her that a madman with a time-traveling sentient box had invited me on a grand adventure through space and time. I just tried to push the thoughts out of my head and clear my mind as I had been taught to when faced with stress. Still, I knew I couldn't hold in all my emotions for long, and I especially knew I didn't want to start crying in front of my friends. I turned tail, ears drooping, and stalked back to my bed, where I curled up in my blankets and drifted off to sleep, warmed by my blankets and the campfire._

_I awoke to the sound of hushed voices. I felt two fingers pressing into my neck, testing to see if I still had a pulse. They were in the wrong place, directly on top of my windpipe instead of right above my clavicle. Any skilled warrior would know that, even a simple sorcerer like myself. "No pulse. Must have died in the cold." A raspy voice echoed around the cave walls. I froze, suddenly realizing what was going on. They were thieves. Poorly skilled, but deadly nonetheless. _

_I watched through slitted eyes as the two figures (wrongly) checked the pulses of both Donna and the Doctor, across the cave from me. However, something struck me as odd. The soft grating noise I heard following them around; scaly tails. The raspy voices definitely had a reptilian tinge to them. Not only were they thieves, they were Argonian thieves. _

_I sat motionless, disgusted, as scaly fingers rummaged through my bag, the only possessions I owned, and almost hissed as they snatched up my crystals and grabbed the dagger I was so fond of, as they pried a strange device out of the Doctor's hand and kicked out the remaining glowing coals of our fire. That was it. I couldn't handle it any more. Filled with rage, I silently sat up, murmuring an incantation as a ball of flame slowly formed in my left paw. "You disgusting criminals." I hissed under my breath. As the two thieves turned around, knives drawn, my suspicions were confirmed. They were indeed Argonians._

_"__Well, alive still, aren't we?" one of them asked in a singsong, sarcastic voice. "We should have slit your little kitty throat when we had the chance."_

_"__Get away from my friends. Now." I took a step towards them, paw blazing as fury slowly built up. One of them charged at me. I threw the fireball with as much strength as I could muster. It hit the second thief in the shoulder, causing him to drop the burlap sack he was holding filled with our things. As the fire hit him, he let out a cry of pain, waking the Doctor and Donna with a start._

_"__What's going on?!" the Doctor shouted, jumping to his feet. Upon seeing the thieves, he immediately checked his pockets and, upon realizing whatever he needed was no longer there, grabbed a stick from the floor next to his bed. "What's happening?"_

_"__Thieves trying to kill us, that's what." I snapped back. From across the room, Donna mumbled, "Five more minutes. 'S too early," and then turned back over to sleep._

_"__Come on, face me and fight—" I growled, turning around only to find the two thieves gone, and the scent of burning reptile on the wind outside. "They got away with our stuff!" I grabbed my cloak off of the floor. "I'm going after them."_


End file.
